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Bulldogs Open 2009 Season At Grand Canyon Classic
Feb. 19, 2009
Game 1, 3
Game 2, 4 Projected Bulldog Lineup (Yr., B/T, 2008 Stats)
THIS WEEK: The Gonzaga University baseball team opens its 2009 season at the Grand Canyon Classic hosted by Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. this weekend. The Zags will face the University of Nevada Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. then turnaround and play preseason #10 ranked University of Missouri 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon followed by another matchup with Nevada at 6 p.m. that evening. Gonzaga then closes out the season-opening weekend with one more game against #10 Missouri scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS LIVE: All Gonzaga University home games and selected away games will be video streamed and available via Gametracker on the internet at http://www.gozags.com. Check the Gonzaga web site to sign up for live video streaming and view other Gametracker links. Live Stats for the games against Nevada will be available at www.nevadawolfpack.com. LAST SEASON: Gonzaga University posted their second consecutive 30-plus win season for the first time since the 1981-82 teams reached the mark. The Zags 2008 record of 30-23 record followed a 33-25 record in 2007 and is the second 30-win season since 1990. The 1994, 1995 and 2006 teams all finished their respective seasons with 29 victories. ON DECK: Gonzaga University will continue on the road for four games next week beginning with its first of four mid-week matchups against Washington State University this season. The Bulldogs will face the Cougars at Bailey Brayton Field in Pullman, Wash. 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Gonzaga then returns to the state of Arizona for the HoHoKam Tournament to matchup with the University of Notre Dame Friday, Creighton University Saturday and the University of Dayton Sunday. The game against Notre Dame will be played at Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim while the two remaining games will be played at HoHoKam park in Phoenix, Ariz. the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. ABOUT THE NEVADA WOLFPACK: The University of Nevada posted a 34-26 overall record including a 18-14 record in the Western Athletic Conference to finish in second in the conference standings last season. The Wolfpack return four starting position players led by All-WAC second team first baseman Shaun Kort who finished with six homers and 60 RBI last season. On the mound, UNR returns two All-WAC selections led by first team selection right-hander Kyle Howe who finished with a team-best eight wins a year ago. Head coach Gary Powers enters his 27th season with the Wolfpack and owns an impressive 795-621-4 career record. The all-time series is tied at 2-2. ABOUT THE MISSOURI TIGERS: The University of Missouri finished last season with a 39-21 overall record including a 1-2 mark in the 2008 NCAA Regional. The Tigers begin the 2009 season preseason ranked in many national polls and as high as #10 by Baseball America. UM returns six players from its 2008 lineup led by 2008 All-Big 12 Conference first team outfielder Aaron Senne who posted team-highs in average (.347) and RBI (67) and junior catcher Trevor Coleman, a 2009 Baseball America preseason All-America selection. Junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson is also a preseason All-America selection after posting a 9-4 record along with 96 strikeouts in 86.2 innings last season. Head coach Tim Jamieson enters his 15th season with Missouri owning a 480-329-2 career record. The all-time series is tied at 1-1. ZAGS’ SCHEDULE RANKED AMONG NATIONS TOUGHEST: According to the College Baseball Strength of Schedule Rankings by BoydsWorld.com, Gonzaga University owns the 23rd toughest schedule in the country. Seven Bulldog opponents appear in at least one of the four major college baseball national polls led by the University of Missouri which owns the highest ranking of any Gonzaga opponent at #10 in the Baseball America poll. West Coast Conference foes University of San Diego and Pepperdine University also appear in at least one national preseason poll. MARTIN NAMED TO NCBWA PRESEASON STOPPER WATCH LIST: Gonzaga University sophomore pitcher Cody Martin has been named to the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. Forty players have been named to the initial watch list for the fifth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The initial list will be updated with a mid-season release the week of April 16, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, May 27, prior to start of NCAA regional tournament competition. The NCBWA’s All-America Committee will then select the winner, with this year’s recipient to be announced in early June. SEASON OPENERS: Gonzaga University will look to put an end to its three-game opening day losing streak this Friday against the University of Nevada. The Bulldogs have not won a season-opener since the beat Oregon State University 3-1 at the Arizona State Tournament in 2004. WIEGAND LEAVING HIS MARK: Senior first basemen Ryan Wiegand enters his final season for Gonzaga University within reach of a couple of school offensive records. Last years West Coast Conference RBI leader (63) is just one hit away from breaking into the programs top-10 career hit list and is 56 hits away from Eric Rodland’s all-time mark of 269. Wiegand also comes into the year 13 doubles away from Jerrod Wong’s top mark of 59 and he needs 35 more RBI to surpass Jeff Hainline’s top mark of 186. FRIDAY NIGHT FIELDS: Senior right-handed starting pitcher Matt Fields will take the mound for Gonzaga University’s season-opener on Friday against the University of Nevada. The 2008 All-West Coast Conference honorable mention selection led the Bulldogs with eight wins last season and posted a 3-1 record after moving into the Friday night role the last four series of the season. ZAGS RECIEVE FIRST PLACE VOTE; PLACED FOURTH IN WCC POLL: Gonzaga University was picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference for the 2009 season according to a preseason vote of the league’s head coaches. The University of San Diego and Pepperdine University were picked as favorites to win this year’s WCC regular season title in the 2009 preseason baseball poll. The Toreros and Waves have already been receiving several preseason accolades by several publications as San Diego has been ranked as high as No. 11 by Baseball America, while Pepperdine was ranked No. 17 in the same poll. San Diego and Pepperdine both received 45 points, with the Toreros receiving four first place votes to three for the Waves. Santa Clara, which has received votes in several preseason publications, was picked to finish third with 35 points. Gonzaga received the last remaining first place vote, and received 30 points, to come in at fourth place, edging out San Francisco, which received 26 points, for fifth place. Rounding out this year’s poll is Loyola Marymount, with 20 points, Saint Mary’s, with 14 points, and Portland, with nine points. MARTIN SETS SAVES RECORD, NAMED FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA IN 2008: Gonzaga University pitcher Cody Martin earned Freshman All-America Second Team honors by Pro-Line Athletic National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) after finishing the 2008 season with a school record nine saves. Martin appeared in 26 games last season, 24 of them in relief. In 54.2 innings of work he posted a 4-1 record with a 2.80 ERA, 51 strikeouts and held opponents to a .249 batting average. Martin also received All-West Coast Conference honorable mention and was an All-Freshman Team selection after posting a 3-0 record and recording three saves in his eight appearances during WCC play. The Dos Palos, Calif. native broke Randy Bostic’s previous record of seven saves, set in 1982, with a one inning save in the Bulldogs 4-2 win over two-time defending national champion Oregon State University on April 30. Martin went on to become the seventh Bulldog in the program’s history to earn Freshman All-America honors and the first since Ryan Wiegand earned first team honors in 2006. FOUR ZAGS TOOK EARNED ALL-WCC HONORS IN 2008: Four members of the Gonzaga University baseball team earned All-West Coast Conference accolades last season. Centerfielder Drew Heid highlighted the pack, earning All-WCC accolades after posting the second best average at .386 in the West Coast Conference and also hit .478 in WCC play. Right handed starting pitcher Matt Fields, right handed pitcher Cody Martin and second basemen Evan Wells were awarded honorable mention honors. Martin was also named to the WCC All-Freshman team. WELLS POSTED 21-GAME HIT STREAK IN 2008: Senior second baseman Evan Wells produced a team-best 21-game hit streak in 2008. The streak started April 4 at the University of San Diego and ended against Lewis & Clark State College on May 12. During the streak, Wells hit at an impressive .412 clip, going 33-for-80 with 16 runs batted in and 22 runs scored for the Bulldogs. VAN WINKLE SELECTED IN MLB DRAFT, RETURNS TO SCHOOL: Gonzaga University catcher Tyson Van Winkle was selected as the 1172nd pick in the 39th round by the Houston Astros in last June’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Van Winkle chose to return to the Bulldogs for his redshirt junior season after posting a .298 average with eight doubles, three home runs, 28 runs scored and 30 runs batted in while starting 47 games last season. The native of Vancouver, Wash. became the 51st overall Zag to be drafted by the MLB and is the eighth member of the Gonzaga baseball team to be drafted under the guidance of head coach Mark Machtolf, who has served as the Bulldogs’ head coach for four seasons. Twenty-three Zags have been drafted during Machtolf’s tenure as a member of the Gonzaga coaching staff. ZAGS SWEPT TWO-TIME DEFENDING CHAMPS: Last season, Gonzaga University swept a two game home series with two-time National Champion Oregon State University April 29 and 30. The Bulldogs used a six-run two-out eighth inning rally to take game one 11-6. Evan Wells drove home the go-ahead runs with a two-run single and right handed pitcher CJ McClure picked up the win with 3.1 solid innings of relief work for the Bulldogs. In game two, Grant Kveder’s RBI single scored Heid for the eventual game-winner in the seventh and closer Cody Martin closed out the ninth for the Zags to preserve the sweep of the 2006 and 2007 champs. Martins eighth save of the season broke the school-record for saves in a season and he went on to finish with nine saves. BULLDOGS CLAIMED PEPSI/JOHNNY QUICK TITLE: Gonzaga University claimed the Pepsi/Johnny Quick title hosted by eventual 2008 national champion Fresno State University in mid-March. The Bulldogs posted a 4-2 record in the tournament, beating the University of Indiana, New Mexico State University and the University of Utah twice including the tournament clinching win over the Utes, 10-7 on the final day of the tournament. Grant Kveder was named the tournament MVP after he recorded 10 hits, scored five runs, drove in five runs and also produced a 5-for-5 performance in the win over New Mexico State. GONZAGA EARNED SIX WEEKLY ACCOLADES IN 08': Gonzaga University took home six West Coast Conference/Rawlings Player or Pitcher of Week honors throughout 2008. Grant Kveder and Marcus McKimmy earned back-to-back weekly accolades for the Bulldogs in late March. Ryan Wiegand earned Co-Player of the Week in mid April and Drew Heid earned consecutive weekly honors the last week of April and first week of May. The only Pitcher of the Week honor earned for the Zags last season was by Cody Martin following the second week of April. The six weekly awards earned by the Bulldogs was second most by any team in the WCC, second only to the University of San Diego’s 11.
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